


Obsessions of an agent and a monster

by Aedriane



Category: Shadow Hearts, Warehouse 13
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Spoilers for Warehouse 13, spoilers for shadow hearts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 15:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5831629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aedriane/pseuds/Aedriane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten small fics written for a livejournal challenge in 2010. Five are Warehouse 13, five are Shadow Hearts. The Warehouse 13 fics are from an AU where Pete and Myka go missing in 2013.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Re-Agent

“Are you sure about this, Artie?” Claudia asked, a little worried. 

“For the fifth time, Claudia, I’m sure.” The older man snapped. Claudia looked down a moment. Artie’s expression saddened as he sighed. “Sorry…” He looked to the woman, then went back to packing. “It’s just, I know what I’m doing.” Claudia made a face and started to speak, but Artie interrupted her. “I know you do, too, but this mission is more that you’re used to.”

“…More dangerous, you mean?” Claudia asked, wearing a bored expression. Artie nodded and closed his bag before picking it up. 

“If this I what I think it is, it’s going straight to the Dark Vault and whoever has it will be extremely desperate to keep it.” He moved to another desk an set the bag down. Claudia stood up and put her hands in her back pockets. 

“And I’ll be here…?” She trailed off, listening for an answer. Artie had his coat and sunglasses on, and was holding his hat when he turned to her. 

“Grabbing information as quickly as you tend to do and generally making sure nothing goes wrong.” He explained before donning the hat. 

“Oookay.” She said, shrugging and smiling. “Try not to break any bones.” Artie just laughed a bit as he headed for the door. Claudia sighed and looked down. “No, really.” Her voice was a bit quieter. "Be careful." The door half open, Artie turned around and looked at the girl for a moment. 

“I will.” He said, nodding with a solid expression on his face before leaving. Claudia sat down and turned towards the computer, smiling.


	2. Rebuild

Dark eyes stared back at her from the mirror as she wiped her face off. The reflection then just looked at her, as if taking judgment on her for not respecting her superior’s decision. That thought made her feel more than a bit uncomfortable. Despite all the anger and sadness and wanting her family back, she also wanted to help those who were still here. She wanted to make Artie and Mrs. Frederic happy(though the latter almost never showed it). She wanted to keep the Warehouse well in working order, but that was difficult when she was away, gathering Artifacts. The perfect balance was two agents, their contact, and someone on the floor. She and Artie had made up for the losses well, but they couldn’t handle that forever. The reflection hardened its gaze, then looked down, sighing. She then caught sight of the small, silver chain around her neck and took a deep breath. They were always there with her, no matter who arrived in her place. 

“Claudia?” She though she heard Myka ask quietly. Quickly looking, she saw not Myka standing in open doorway, but Leena, looking a bit concerned.-


	3. Warehouse

Warehouse 13. A larger-than-life storage facility. For Artie, it was life. Claudia didn’t take it so far. When she was bored, she would wander the floor, reading about the artifacts. They were played with often when she was feeling lonely, or just a bit curious. If she needed to think about something, the expansive view from the office balcony was enough to offer her the peace. The office – along with the filing room – was her workplace and common room. She felt completely at home there, and if it weren’t for Leena’s, she would totally live there. For Claudia, Warehouse 13 wasn’t life; it was simply home.


	4. Communication

“I don’t know, I just want Pete and Myka to come back.” Claudia said, sighing. Leena, who was pouring tea, looked at her with a sad expression. They both knew the chances of the previous agents coming back after a year of being totally MIA. 

“Well,” she started, setting the teapot down and taking her seat at the table, “It’s not all bad when new agents are brought in. Once you see them around for a while, you get used to them.” Claudia just hmphed and took a sip of her tea. She supposed Leena was right, though. It took a while for her and Artie to start getting along. It’s just that there was this hole inside of her that opened up last year, and not just anyone could fill it in. Not even grabbing Artifacts herself made her feel any better. Sure, she’s not devastated anymore, but she won’t forget that day. 

“…Do you trust new agents when they come in?” She asked at length, her voice faltering a bit.

“Not at first, of course.” Leena replied, holding her teacup. “It takes time to build trust with new agents, just like with other people. I don’t think it’s wrong not to trust new agents, but you shouldn’t shut them out completely, Claudia.” She took a sip of her tea and set the cup down. “Do you remember when Myka was trapped in Lewis Carrol’s mirror?” She asked, taking a cookie and breaking a piece off. “Well, up until then, Artie didn’t trust Pete or Myka all that much. It’s because he had closed himself off from them.” She popped the cookie piece in her mouth, dusting crumbs off her hands as she chewed and swallowed. “Working in the warehouse relies a lot on communication. You can’t let your emotions get in the way.” Claudia listened, grabbing a cookie and taking a bite. 

“But-“ She interjected, her voice muffled, before swallowing. “That’s just Artie, right? He’s seen agents come and go. Hell, he was an agent. I mean, it took him the greater part of forty years to get like that!” She then sat back, sighing. She knew Leena had a good point, and she couldn’t argue on it. Taking another bite of her cookie, she looked up at the slightly-orange sky. It wasn’t long before Artie was going to walk through the front door, and she really didn’t want him in on this conversation. “Well,” She said, sitting up and grabbing her bag, “I’m going upstairs. If anyone needs me, you know where I’ll be.” She then stood up and headed inside. As she reached the stairs, she heard Artie come in, but she didn’t stop.


	5. Breakdown

Orange sunlight poked through the window as Claudia was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. There were tear marks down her face, and her eyes were red. She wasn’t crying anymore, but she was still very upset. Her arms were out to her sides, her hands hanging limply. Pete. Myka. They were really gone. Well, they had been missing for a while, but it had been almost a year without any sort of sign. It was declared today that candidates for new agents will be searched for. Claudia closed her eyes. She thought she was over this. She realized a long time ago that there was little to no chance of them showing back up, but hearing about the search for new agents just made her so angry. She didn’t want new agents. Even if Pete and Myka were gone, she was still there. Artie was, too. And Leena. Everything would be fine with just the three of them.


	6. Gravestone

As Yuri backed away from the glowing tombstone, it began to pulsate. A horrible feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head a bit, before looking at the tombstone again. It seemed to move and change shape, but Yuri convinced himself nervously that it was just a trick of the light.

“Heh heh, wouldn’t it be hilarious if somethin’ crawled outta there?” He asked no one in particular, the pitch of his voice wavering. That’s what happens in his nightmares, so why not? This place was his nightmare. The tombstone then glowed brighter, and the sound of Yuri’s own heartbeat filled his ears. Yuri covered his ears and shook his head, waiting for the monsters to appear. The sound quickly became so intense, it brought him to his knees. Then, with a tremendous roar, it stopped.

Taking his hands off his head, Yuri looked up and immediately stumbled back. What stood before him was no ordinary monster. It had the head of a tiger but stood on two legs and was easily taller than Yuri was. Its thin arms stretched almost to the ground, and the black and green patterns in its fur made the creature look grimy and disgusting. Yuri looked it over a few more times, then scowled, gritting his teeth. This must be… He thought before jumping to his feet. “All right, you freakin’ monster! Let’s go!” He shouted, putting his fists up. The creature replied with another roar and charged its opponent.


	7. Dark Power

“Detestable Harmonixer! Have you forgotten the dark power that lurks within your own soul?” The red mask bellowed deeply before spinning around.

“Huh?! What the hell are you talking about?” Yuri spat, both confused and angry. He’d had about enough of these freakin’ masks.

“Ha, ha, ha…” The green, lion-like mask chuckled as it spun, “The souls of monsters!”

“Believe it or not, boy, not all of them are out for your revenge!” The yellow bird mask declared shrilly, twirling around. Yuri hmphed and crossed his arms.

“Is there a reason I should believe you?” He asked defiantly. The blue, chalice-topped mask giggled quietly in response, then spun around.

“They join together, strengthening as one entity, one spirit…” The mask explained liltingly before giggling again, “Once the spirit emerges, it will become part of your very soul...That is, if you have what it takes.”

“…Another spirit to fuse with? That’s my dark power?” Yuri asked after taking a moment to sort through the mask’s banter.

“That is correct!” The yellow mask confirmed, laughing loudly, “Now, be gone with you! Return to the world of the living!” It cried angrily before turning away. The other three masks followed suit, one by one. Yuri watched them and scowled before turning away.


	8. Monsters

There was a strange sound over at the door, followed by a near-silent click. Yuri looked up to see three figures moving into the room. They looked human, but something was off. Yuri tilted his head.

“Wait. He’s definitely not his normal self!” The red one called, causing them all to stop.

“Do be on your guard. He attacks very unexpectedly.” The tall purple one said. He was here before. He had locked the door. The small blue one walked up to him.

“Yuri? It’s me, Alice.” She said quietly, crouching down in front of him. Alice…? Yuri tried to question her, but he didn’t seem to have full control of his words.

“He has every appearance of a human, but it’s as if he has lost his soul somewhere. In his present state, he is nothing but a maleficent monster.” The purple one said, shifting a bit. Monster. That word echoed in his ears. Monster…monster…These things, that’s what they were. They had to be. The monsters that were after mom. Yuri stood up.

“…You…. You’ve come… to kill mom, haven’t you…?” He asked, scowling. They were, weren’t they? Why couldn’t they leave him alone? “You damned monsters…” He said lowly, seething. “You’re here for mom, aren’t you?!” He asked, but didn’t wait for an answer before charging at them.


	9. Sacrifice

That was some nightmare. Anyways, it was all over. The fight, the floating castle, Albert Simon and his Valorization. Everything was back to the way it was supposed to be, except…something felt very wrong. He looked down at the woman sleeping on him. Slowly, he reached for her to shake her awake, but he stopped as soon as he felt her arm. She was…cold. “A-Alice…?” He asked weakly, now looking a little worried. He shook her a bit, but she didn’t wake up. Her head fell limply onto his arm. At that moment, Yuri knew what was wrong. “No…Alice!” He hissed sharply as a tear rolled down his face. He held her body close to him, and heard a deep, familiar voice in the back of his mind. “A deal was made…and now, the price is paid.” The voice bellowed formally. Yuri instantly felt a surge of anger, followed by a pang of guilt. “It was…me.” He said harshly, shutting his eyes. “As the warlock said in the end,” he started, shakily, “Even if another age of storms buffets the world, I intend to go on living, and fighting…for you who saved me from the darkness, the one I love!”


	10. ALICE

Yuri looked down at the girl sleeping against him. She was tired, of course. They all were, after all that had happened. But Alice, she had done so much. She helped him discover his full potential as a Harmonixer. She fought with them in Shanghai. She found him in Europe and pulled him from the dark pit of his own soul. The woman had gone to great lengths so many times to save him. To save the world. Even in the worst of situations, the pressed on and never let weakness show once. Yuri put his arm around Alice and touched her arm lightly. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at Yuri. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. His darkness against her light. Light that would always shine, even in the face of the darkest shadows.


End file.
